The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will discuss a request for qualifications for projects at six county-maintained airports.

Staff is recommending that the board authorize the county public works director to advertise and distribute the request, which seeks qualified applicants for planning, design, engineering and construction needs.

The projects are part of a Federal Aviation Administration program, according to a staff report, that includes designing and constructing an aircraft rescue and firefighting building, hazard removal, and runway lighting improvements at the Arcata/Eureka Airport.

There are also proposed improvements at the Dinsmore, Garberville, Kneeland, Rohnerville and Murray Field airports, which can be viewed online at www.co.humboldt.ca.us/aviation.

Board approval for the request for proposals is tentatively scheduled for April.

In other business, 5th District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg and 4th District Supervisor Virginia Bass requested the board take up the discussion of local campaign finance reform, citing community interest.

"It's been kind of a discussion item locally for some time," Bass said. "Now that we're not in an election year, we thought it was a good time to see if there's an interest."

She said she didn't recall campaign finance reform coming up before during her tenure as supervisor, but she was Eureka's mayor during discussions that led to reforms, including a $500 per person donation cap in city council races.

"There's different ways to look at it," Bass said. "You try to level the playing field, but that's not always possible."

Bass said if other supervisors are interested, she may ask County Administrative Officer Phillip Smith-Hanes to talk with other counties about their campaign finance reform strategies.

In other business, Sundberg signed a letter on behalf of the board urging Gov. Jerry Brown to use revenue generated from the cap-and-trade program to restore funds to counties for administration of the Williamson Act. The agenda item was requested by 3rd District Supervisor Mark Lovelace.

The act, which is intended to preserve agricultural and open space lands by discouraging conversion to urban uses, suffered a loss of state support in 2009, burdening counties with the costs, Sundberg wrote.

"In Humboldt County, we are currently exploring the level to which we may be able to continue our support of this program in the future," Sundberg wrote.

"It is our understanding that $55.8 million of the proceeds from the first cap-and-trade auction have not yet been specifically dedicated," Sundberg continued. "Sustaining the Williamson Act should be a top priority."

Land conservation contracts enacted under the act can lower taxes for property owners that maintain the land for agricultural purposes.

California's cap-and-trade auction was the state's first ever auction of greenhouse gas emission permits, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The Board of Supervisors will also continue discussion of various committee and commission appointments that were left undecided at the board's Jan. 8 meeting.